Our Ship

A Fletcher class destroyer is like no other ship. USS Shields was a unique ship because of her speed and crew.

Leaving San Diego harbor with all four boilers online as we past the breakwater and the submarine piers we knew we were but a short distance from the sea buoys marking the entrance to the harbor. We would always have the company of pleasure boats trying to race us to the entrance. Soon the peace was shattered as Shields squatted down at the stern, the dual screws bit into the sea and the roster tail started to rise. The wake once small and gentle became a wall of water taller than the surrounding boats we left spinning in our wake. Awesome power; the United States Navy.

All of her crew from commissioning to the end have stories to tell, pictures to show, heartfelt memories to share. So come with us now as we leave San Diego and sail the oceans of the Pacific for this website is dedicated to telling their story for those who were with us at the time and those who have come after.